Archives Blog ›› US Census ›› Archives.com Adds First State to its Search-By-Name Index of the 1940 U.S. Census

Archives.com Adds First State to its Search-By-Name Index of the 1940 U.S. Census

by Julie Hill

Posted on April 13, 2012

Last week, Archives.com and the U.S. National Archives made the entire U.S. 1940 census available digitally at 1940census.archives.gov. While census images are hugely valuable, the lack of a name index can impede speedy searching. To help remedy this, Archives.com and other like-minded family history organizations have sponsored the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project, a national service effort that will index 3.8 million census images by name.

Archives.com is proud to announce that Delaware census records are now searchable by name for free on its website, thanks to the extraordinary volunteer effort.

Said Senior Product Director Joe Godfrey, "Archives.com developed the website for the U.S. National Archives so that anyone can search 1940 census, and we are also integrating free 1940 census images and a by-name index into Archives.com. It's fantastic that people will be able to access these important records so readily and get a unique glimpse into their family's past."

To search the 1940 census by name, visit Archives.com/1940census. No registration or payment is required, and additional states will be added as soon as they are complete. Archives.com will be adding a number of new states each month, so check back frequently. Those waiting for the completion of their state of interest can even sign-up for notification when new states come online.

The name index is made possible by the hard work of the over 100,000 volunteers contributing to the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project. Project participants have tirelessly indexed millions of names in record time, and their contribution enables Archives.com and other project sponsors including the U.S. National Archives, FamilySearch, and findmypast to make the records available online for free. To join the effort, become a volunteer at the1940census.com.

The technology behind the 1940 census name indexing project is simple to use and incorporates an exceedingly accurate double-verification system. This enables fast and credible indexing, which you can now search at Archives.com/1940census. Eventually, all 50 states will be available on Archives.com as they are completed by volunteers. New states will be posted as soon as they're available, and announced on the Archives.com blog.

Archives.com is gratified to be a part of this historic project to make the 1940 census records readily and freely available to all.